'This Week' Panel Piles on Obama's 'Big, Big Flip-flop'

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When ABC's George Stephanopoulos, along with three-fourths of his panel, pile on a Democrat with the cameras rolling, you know said liberal elected official made a blunder of epic proportions.

Such was the case on Sunday's "This Week" when with the exception of Democrat pol Donna Brazile, it was virtually unanimous that Democrat presidential nominee Barack Obama's decision to go back on his campaign promise to accept public funds was "a big, big deal and a big, big flip-flop."

Readers should brace themselves for an alternate reality, as in a strange moment in television news history, George Stephanopoulos, Cokie Roberts, Sam Donaldson, and Matt Dowd actually agreed that the Obamessiah made a serious boo boo (video available here, Brazile's sycophancy removed for what should be obvious reasons, picture courtesy ABC News):

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GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS (ABC NEWS)

(Off-camera) The hot political topic of the week. Barack Obama becomes the first presidential candidate in the general election not to take public financing since 1976 since the system was started. We're gonna debate that on the "Roundtable" this week. I am joined by Cokie Roberts, Matt Dowd, Sam Donaldson, and Donna Brazile. And Cokie, right when Senator Obama made this decision, Senator McCain comes out and says this is a big, big deal and a big, big flip-flop.

COKIE ROBERTS (ABC NEWS)

(Off-camera) It is a big flip-flop and it is a big deal. It's not necessarily one that the American people care that much about. Because to them, political money is political money and it's all a mess anyway. But I do think that McCain can use this to say that Obama is just a typical politician and that's what he'll be doing. On the other hand Obama can raise so much money and he uses it so wisely that it is really hard to make the case that he shouldn't be accepting this money. […]

SAM DONALDSON (ABC NEWS)

(Off-camera) It's a smart move from the standpoint of raising money. He's going to do it legally, I suppose. And he wants to win the election and money talks. On the other hand, remember, Donna. He's the non-politician politician. He's the one who's got young people energized because he is not like the swarmy people in Washington who do all of this and cut and run and flip-flop. And now that's the danger to him. And when you go on his website and you hear his explanation, I would have felt better if he just said, folks, I want to win the election, I can do this. It's to my advantage. Instead he pretends that he is fighting big money. He is the champion. And you want to go, gag me with a stick.

Actually, Sam, valley girls said "Gag me with a spoon!" But I digress:

MATTHEW DOWD (ABC NEWS)

(Off-camera) To me I think it's a mistake both politically and for himself. I think that the most important thing you can have as a politician is your brand.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS (ABC NEWS)

(Off-camera) Brand.

MATTHEW DOWD (ABC NEWS)

(Off-camera) And no matter how much money you get from it, you can't overcome brand problems once they begin to develop. Do I think it's lethal? No, but I think it begins to add to the thing, is this this guy, just a regular kind of guy where he does these sorts of things? I also think the calculation that they made - so they hurt their brand, the calculation that they made that they were gonna get this extra money is a sort of false premise.

Interesting. For more examples of media members starting to come out from under the Obama ether, go here and here.

—Noel Sheppard is the Associate Editor of NewsBusters. Follow him at Facebook and Twitter.


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Hmmm

Is it a coincidence that the ONLY black on the panel defended the Obama flip-flop? I think not. Identity politics, thy name is Donna Brazile. 

"Israel and Palestine should have their countries taken away from them, put in timeout, until they can prove they can get along." - balboa, ignorant bastard, 3/17/08

I don't think so

I think it could possibly be a coincidence, but most likely simply because she's a hack. Isn't she the one that brought up attack dogs re: voter intimidation in 2000? From 2004:

In her book, Brazile recounts the conversation that Gore had with Brazile upon appointing her as his campaign manager. He told her: "The reason I named you campaign manager is because you clearly know how to organize, you know how to put together a campaign. I want to focus on getting the campaign under control, removing all the factions we had. You report to me. I didn't hire you because you're Black; I hired you because you're the best."

Now a sought-after pundit on television, Brazile said that she is focusing her energy on helping Democrats win the next election. She said that Democrats should remain true to their core values and resist attempts to move further to the right.

  MSM - shaping all the perceptions you need to believe.

Maybe they got the wrong

Maybe they got the wrong Kool-Aid.

Like Donaldson

Like Donaldson said...

Gag Me With a Spoon!

This will pass...unfortunately nobody cares...like McCain said the American people should know the truth or some such...well McCain should make a big deal of the this issue... raise the lies/hypocrisy Obama has stated YOURSELF!

Over and Over...

He won't.

"Never murder your opponent when he is committing suicide." ~ W. Wilson

Different take

I listened to this on podcast, and I came away with a different take on it. Cokie Roberts took the lead on the discussion, and she said that even though it is a big deal and a true flip flop, she thought that the sheer amount of money changed the equation. She complimented Obama on spending the money effectively.

Now, I heard this podcast immediately after a podcast from Fox News Sunday. Brit Hume's attitude was that Obama blew away the whole financing system ... and Hume was happy about that. Hume wants the whole financing scheme thrown out, and I agree with that, in principle. For Hume, the hypocrisy is a small price to pay for the sake of getting rid of the scheme. For me, it just means that there are now two atrocities instead of one.

It just strikes me how easily the media allows Obama to walk all over them and take them for granted. They're like doormat girlfriends who are happy to allow themselves to be dominated, and who are willing to trade their independence for the pleasure of his company, even while they know he thinks so little of them.

It's a little embarrassing to watch, frankly.

KC... What an excellent

KC...

What an excellent way to put this all.

I didn't get to catch the Sunday shows..you filled me in in Brit's opinion too..he is correct as far as I am concerned...anyway...just wanted to say I wouldn't of known any of this if you hadn't of posted it...or Noel either.

"Never murder your opponent when he is committing suicide." ~ W. Wilson

Thanks, bigtimer

Just as an aside, I recommend podcasts for the talk shows. It's sometimes the only way for me to catch them at all, and I can blow off segments that will raise my blood pressure. Think of it as intellectual "portion control."

Was Rod Serling standing in

Was Rod Serling standing in the back having a smoke when this took place? When will someone be calling for the head of Cokie Roberts?

CJK... When will someone

CJK...

When will someone be calling for the head of Cokie Roberts?

The 12th of Never.

"Never murder your opponent when he is committing suicide." ~ W. Wilson

just desserts

Isnt there just a little wry humor in the fact
the sponsor of McVain-Feingold will get
his comeuppance by the first candidate to
ever eschew the public financing?

Yes, Obama is a hypocrite, but could
his victim be anymore perfect?